Whanganui Chronicle
  • Whanganui Chronicle home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Taranaki
  • National Park
  • Whakapapa
  • Ohakune
  • Raetihi
  • Taihape
  • Marton
  • Feilding
  • Palmerston North

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • New Plymouth
  • Whanganui
  • Palmertson North
  • Levin

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Whanganui Chronicle

Police training gave Maureen life skills

By Lin Ferguson
Whanganui Chronicle·
28 Jun, 2016 09:33 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

SETTLED: Maureen at home in Hunterville, where she has lived for 44 years.

SETTLED: Maureen at home in Hunterville, where she has lived for 44 years.

Hunterville woman Maureen Fenton joined the New Zealand Police in 1957 after seeing an advertisement in the NZ Woman's Weekly encouraging young women to sign up.

"You didn't just sign up. You had to apply first then go to an interview and hope they accepted you."

Having grown up in a rural area all her life in Bainesse outside Palmerston North, to even go to Wellington for her interview was a major ask, she said.

Then when she was accepted with seven other women and they were sent to the Trentham Army Barracks for three months' training.

"It was very primitive, nothing luxurious I can tell you that."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

She was the 155th New Zealand police woman sworn in and was immediately placed in central Auckland.

Today at 87 Maureen has lived in Hunterville for 44 years and said every day has counted living in the small town.

Her time from 1957 in Auckland as woman police officer taught her valuable life skills, she said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"I would urge any young woman wanting to join up to go right ahead. It's a marvellous career."

But in saying that Maureen said those early days were vastly different to now.

"There really wasn't the crime, not the violence and certainly not the murders like there is now.

"Domestic family violence wasn't dealt with by police in those days ... you never heard of it. Drugs were unheard of and the pubs closed at 6pm."

When she joined the force she was given her uniform, a notebook, a pair of handcuffs and a baton.

"And our batons were smaller than the men's batons. It really was quite obvious in those days that we weren't wanted by the male officers. I think it was because they thought they had to look after us."

And to a degree that was true because the women were not allowed to drive police cars and always had to have a male on patrol with them.

"If you were off to a speaking job like talking to a Country Women's Institute you either had to get someone to drive you or get a bus or a train to where it was."

There were many foot patrol duties in Queen St, public parks and annual fairs and shows like the Winter Show, she said.

"We looked after lost children and elderly people."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Maureen remembers she was selected as one of the security police to look after prima ballerina Dame Margot Fonteyn when she toured New Zealand in the early 1960s.

"I have told young people, but most don't know who Margot Fonteyn was."

One of the skills she treasures from police training was the art of public speaking.

"It has helped me so much throughout my life and stood me in real good stead."

During her years in Hunterville Maureen was a district councillor on the Rangitikei District Council for nine years representing the Hunterville Ward.

And for many years after that she worked on the Hunterville Community Committee, she said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"I've always been a community-minded person.

"I like to be busy and help my community. Staying busy is good for you. It keeps you young."

She was the president of the Hunterville RSA for six years and a life member of the Hunterville Swimming Club and the Hunterville Bowling Club.

With just over 500 people in Hunterville and 1500 in the wider Hunterville region, you soon get to know everyone, she said.

When she married fellow police constable Bob Fenton in 1964 she had to let her career go.

"Well in those days if you got married you had to leave."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

These days living quietly in Hunterville with flowers around the door (pot plants spilling over while flowers line the verandah), Maureen is looking forward to a Wine and Cheese evening to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of women of the New Zealand Police past and present.

It is at Manawatu Golf Club on July 26.

"I will enjoy that very much."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Whanganui Chronicle

Why Ruapehu voted against bigger water model

11 Jul 05:02 AM
Whanganui Chronicle

Search for missing man continues after car pulled from river

10 Jul 11:09 PM
Whanganui Chronicle

Community group seeks to manage historic reserve

10 Jul 06:00 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Why Ruapehu voted against bigger water model

Why Ruapehu voted against bigger water model

11 Jul 05:02 AM

Officials say a multi-council body would save their community $40 million.

Search for missing man continues after car pulled from river

Search for missing man continues after car pulled from river

10 Jul 11:09 PM
Community group seeks to manage historic reserve

Community group seeks to manage historic reserve

10 Jul 06:00 PM
Chaos as Ruapehu council rejects officials' advice on water

Chaos as Ruapehu council rejects officials' advice on water

10 Jul 03:15 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Whanganui Chronicle e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Whanganui Chronicle
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP